Christmas
by mistyrose224
Summary: It's Christmas and Roy's feeling alone once again, when he spots Edward struggling to pull a Christmas tree home, will the boy be able to cheer him up and make him realize he's not alone?. Sorry, I'm not good with summary's. Parental. Roy/Ed. This was supposed to be posted on Christmas but...oh well!. Enjoy!. This is my first FMA story, let me know if it's any good. Thanks! Oneshot


The town had its decorations up around the buildings, bringing out the beauty of Christmas.

People's laughter filled the air, bringing with it joy and happiness. People had on their winter clothes, so bundled up that they had a hard time walking.

The air was cold and crisp, promises of snow filled the sky. Roy was wearing a dark blue coat, along with his flame alchemy gloves. He breathed a sigh of content, his breath bellowing out in front of his face. He tucked his gloved hands into his coat pocket, trying to maintain some of his heat.

He didn't really enjoy this type of weather but anything was better than rain, or so he thought.

People crowded past him, heading for the shops that lined the streets. Their faces aglow with joy for being with their loved one's, something Roy didn't have the pleasure of himself. He often spent Christmas alone in his empty house, for some reason though, every year he went through the trouble of decorating for the season.

Sighing, he glanced at the ground. "I don't want to spend another Christmas alone, please. I know I don't really believe in you but, please. I don't want to be alone this year.." Roy begged silently.

He looked up and spotted a familiar figure bound of red and black. The small figure was pulling a fairly big sized tree, his red coat blew out behind him when the wind hit it.

The boy's face was scrunched up in a display of frustration, he was tugging with all of his might on the burden he was pulling.

"Hello Fullmetal, seems like you're having trouble with your tree." Roy's voice was unusually kind.

Edward stopped his struggle with the tree, sighing heavily with annoyance. He shifted his golden glare towards Roy, crossing his arms against his chest, resting on his bundle of coats he had on. "What do you want?" Edward hissed, narrowing his eyes.

"I was just on my way home when I noticed you, it seemed like you were having a hard time with the tree so I thought-"

"So you thought I was too small to handle it, right?" Edward cut him off, his voice laced with venom. His eyes were a burning fire, threatening to melt whoever was brave enough to look into their depths.

It seemed like even the festive spirit of Christmas wasn't enough to lighten the boys mood.

"No, if you'd let me finish, I was going to ask if you needed help." Roy was trying to keep a level tone of voice.

It looked like Edward was calming a little, his gaze showed he was still suspicious as if he was trying to find an ulterior motive for Roy's kindness, finding none he let himself relax a little.

Edward shifted his stance and fiddled with his white gloved hands. "Fine, if you want to help...but don't think even for a moment that I can't do it on my own." His tone was a clear warning. Roy nodded his head, letting him know he understood the threat. He bent down and grabbed the tree, together they tugged it down the sidewalk, earning glances their way.

"So,uh, where's Al?" Roy broke the awkward silence that had gathered around them.

"At our apartment, decorating. He told me to go and buy a tree because it just isn't Christmas without one." Edward said in a mocking tone of voice, trying to mimic his brothers soft metallic voice.

"Well, your brother's right. It isn't Christmas without a tree, and of course the decorations!" Roy smirked as he gave another tug on the tree, knocking Edward off balance.

Edward glared up at him, his eyes were like two blazing suns, Roy was afraid of getting closer for fear of winding up a pile of dust on the sidewalk.

Edward shifted his glare at the tree as if it were the one who tripped him. Without warning, Edward started pulling the tree once more, trying to get the green bundle to its destination

"So why aren't you at home enjoying Christmas?" Edward suddenly asked, his breath blowing out in front of him.

"I don't know, what's the point?. I don't have anybody to enjoy it with.." Roy mumbled, letting his gaze fall on the sidewalk.

"What about Riza?, I'm sure she doesn't have anybody for Christmas." Edward nervously glanced over at Roy, obliviously he was feeling a little awkward.

"No, she's at her friends house for the night and everybody else is enjoying it with family." Roy answered, his tone lowered as he too felt a little uncomfortable.

They drug the tree in silence for awhile, Roy had his gaze on the couple to his left. They were holding hands and giggling, their faces aglow with happiness. Roy felt a pang of sadness but his self pity was interrupted by a crash, followed by a yelp.

He looked in front of him once again, glancing around trying to spot the blonde who was no where in sight.

"Edward?" Roy frantically looked around, worry building in his chest. His onyx eyes searched the large crowd around him, people laughing and smiling with their scarfs blowing out behind them. Children running around their feet, screaming in play.

"Edward?!" Roy yelled, he was about to drop the tree and go searching for the boy when he heard a faint mumble and the tree shook.

Roy looked down at the tree, noticing a red blotch under it.

"Edward?!, is that you?" Roy knelt down and pulled the tree off the small figure.

Sprawled out on his back under the weight of the tree was Edward. "Uh..." Edward rubbed his forehead, his golden eyes a bit unfocused as his gaze landed on Roy.

"Are you okay?" Roy searched over Edward with his onyx eyes, looking for any marks or abnormalities. The small boy pushed himself up onto his elbow, his braid had come undone a little causing blonde hair to fall into his face.

"Yeah, I just tripped..." Edward's cheeks were flushed, he avoided Roy searching gaze. Roy couldn't help but smile, it was a rare moment to see Edward embarrassed or showing any kind of emotion other than anger.

He looked kind of cute tangled up under the Christmas tree, his face the color of Cherry Blossoms. His eyes were a pale yellow with a look of defeat on his face.

Roy smiled at the scene, he reached over and pulled the rest of the tree off of the small boy. He offered a hand for Edward which he accepted.

His red coat was a tangled mess, hooked onto the messy tree branches as if trying to cuddle him.

"I let a stupid tree take me down..." Edward hissed, glaring down at the tree laying on its side. He kicked it lightly then crossed his arms against his chest.

Roy let a snicker escape from his mouth before desperately trying to cover it up with a gloved hand.

"What, you think that was funny!. How about I trip you and see how you like it..." Edward grumbled as he looked at his black shoe, suddenly finding an interest in it.

"Sorry Ed." Roy told him with a serious face then smirked, "But it was a bit funny!" earning him a glare from Edward.

Together, they grabbed the troublesome tree once again and started dragged it down the sidewalk.

Finally, after what seemed like miles, they were at Edwards apartment.

They stood there with their hands on their hips, looking at their dilemma. Edward's room was on the top floor, in their way was a flight of stairs.

Roy frowned. "So what's the plan?" He glanced over at Edward who looked deep in thought. He was glaring at the tree as if somehow, the tree was to blame for the stairs and every other problem in the world.

"Guess we'll have to drag it..." Edward responded in an irradiated tone of voice. He bent down and grabbed the tree then looked up at Roy.

"You gonna help or not?" Edward asked in annoyance, his nose was starting to turn red from the cold air.

Roy gave the stairs once last disapproving look before bending down to help Edward.

Edward stubbornly went first up the stairs, tugging on the tree. Willing it to go up the stairs, his small form shook with effort.

Roy was stationed behind the tree, ready to push on it if Edward needed him to. Roy pushed up on the tree, almost causing the boy to tumble down the stairs.

The teen focused his burning gaze on Roy, sending goosebumps down his back from the hateful look Edward was giving him.

Then Edward pulled with added strength from his automail limbs, he heaved it up the stairs. Making Roy lose balance and fall onto the steps, sharp pain flared up his arm where he hit it, most likely earning him a nasty bruise.

Roy stood up and glanced up the stairs at Edward, he had the tree rested on the landing. Edward grinned, obliviously proud of himself. "That wasn't so hard!" Edward beamed.

Roy heaved himself up the stairs, breathing heavily. He reached the top of the stairs, he had his hands on his knees trying to catch his breath.

"What, did that wear you out old man?" Edward said in a teasing tone of voice and grinning.

"No!, and I'm not old. I'm only twenty nine!." Roy defended himself once his caught his breath.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Come on, my room's just down here." Edward pointed down the balcony towards a door.

Roy bent down and helped Edward push the tree towards his room.

Edward knocked at the door, letting his brother know he was outside.

The door nob rattled then the door opened, revealing his armored brother. Sometimes Al still made Roy feel nervous, how could he not?. He was a seven foot tall suit of armor, loaded with many sharp pointy knobs sticking out all over the suit.

"Brother, why didn't you tell me you had the tree, I could have helped you because that's an awfully big tree." Al fretted, his worried tone echoing in the crisp air.

Smells of home cooked meals drifted past Al, filling Roy's nose with their wonderful aromas.

"Al, stop mocking my height!.I'm fine," Edward whined, "And besides, Roy was here to help." Edward added.

Al jumped in surprise, quickly saluting Roy. "Colonel, what're you doing here?" Al asking curiously.

"I was one my way home when I spotted Edward struggling with this tree so, in the light of Christmas, I offered my help. Good thing I did too, we had a hard time getting it up the stairs." Roy stated matter of factually.

"Well thank you then, would you like to stay for Christmas dinner?" Al offered politely.

"Al!" Edward whined, drawing out the "L" in Al's name.

"Brother, it's the right thing to do. Besides, he helped you. It's the least we can do!" Al told him, you could almost hear the smile in his voice.

"No, Al. The least we could do is nothing, which is what I suggest we do!" Edward huffed and crossed his arms against his chest.

"Brother, it's Christmas. Be kind!" Al scolded him. "Fine." Edward fumed, glaring at the tree once again.

"Come on brother, bring the tree inside before you catch a cold!" Al insisted, gesturing inside with a large metal gauntlet.

He and Edward reached down and dragging the tree inside. Roy stood up and glanced around their house.

There wasn't much to see, a worn down couch sat in the center of the room, along side it was a low sitting coffee table with plies of books stacked carelessly on its surface.

A single window was in the living room, it overlooked a busy street filled with crowds of people milling about, probably doing their last moment shopping.

To the right of the room was their small kitchen. It consisted of a white stove, refrigerator and a sink.

Al was fussing over a boiling pot on the stove, he turned his head towards Roy and Edward.

"Just put the tree in the stand over there" Al pointed to a small green stand to the left of the window.

Edward and him lifted the tree into a standing position then moved it towards the stand trying to keep it upright.

"Edward, keep it still!" Roy hissed at the small boy, he could barely see his face through the tree branches.

"I'm trying!" Edward grumbled through a mouthful of pine needles, he pushed it straight again.

"Lift it up, Ed!" Roy demanded, his anger growing as a branch slapped in the eye, causing his onyx eyes to water.

"I am, stop whining. You got the easy job!" Edward yelled through a mouthful of pine, his grip tightened on the tree as he lifted it higher.

Roy could barely see Edward, the only suggestion that he was even still there were his golden eyes.

Edward narrowed his eyes as he lifted the tree into it's resting place on the stand, Roy quickly tightened it down.

Breathing hard, they both stepped back to admire their handy work. The tree was pretty straight, considering how much they pulled and tugged on the thing.

Al came walking out of the kitchen, his armor clinking at each step. "Looks good you guys!, there's lights and bulbs in that box over there." Al pointed to a rather pain looking cardboard box sitting next to the couch. "And dinner's almost done!" Al turned and walked back into the kitchen, leaving Roy alone with Edward once again.

Roy walked over to the box that housed the decorations and pulled out a string of blue colored lights. They were neatly wrapped, suggesting it was probably Al's handy work because he very much doubted Edward had the patience for.

Edward stood next to him with his hands on his hips, the expression on his face told Roy he was lost in thought.

"Al, I'm not seeing the white lights!" Edward called to his younger brother.

"They're there, you're just not looking hard enough!" Al yelled back, a hint of laughter in his voice.

Edward frowned and started grumbling incoherent words as he dug through the box.

Finally, his small gloved hands latched onto white Christmas lights and yanked them out. Edward stood and drug the lights over to the tree and started wrapping them on the tree. Before long, he was pretty tangled in the snare of the lights.

Edward hissed at the lights that caught him in their trap, yanking on them and trying to untangle himself. Failing pretty miserably at and further tangling himself.

Roy smiled, "Do you need help?" He was trying to keep back laughter.

Edward sent daggers at him, his arms were wrapped tightly to his sides, trapped by the string of lights.

"Don't laugh at me!" Edward snarled, his eyes making silent threats.

"Sorry!" Roy stifled back his laughter, making a tight lipped smile. He walked over to the tangled boy, grabbing the lights and slowly taking them off.

"You know, my little brother did something similar to this once. He was trapped much worse than you though, he even fell on the tree and knocked it over." Roy smiled sadly at the memory, feeling a pang of lost.

"What happened to him?" Edward asked, frowning at Roy.

Roy glanced into the teens face, meeting his gaze. "He died in the Ishbal war, he was following me and we fell into an ambush. A lot of men died that day, including my brother.." Roy's voice broke, he coughed trying to cover the crack.

Finally, he untangled Edward from his trap of lights. "Now, lets get these lights where they belong." Roy smiled warmly at the boy, trying to push down the memories of the war.

"Alright." they grabbed the lights and wrapped them around the tree, then they grabbed up the blue lights and put them on as well.

"That looks good, but I bet they'd look better if we turned them on!" He grinned as he held up the plug end before shoving it in the wall, casting the lights glow onto the small room.

"Almost done!, now for the bulbs." Edward walked back over to the box which housed the bulbs, he reached inside and pulled out a light blue colored bulb.

"Here." Edward handed it to Roy who thoughtfully hung it up on the tree. Once they were done with the blue bulbs they went for the white one's.

"You know, this kind of reminds me of the time me and Al had to go get a tree. We hiked into the woods around Risembool and we wound up getting lost, it took hours for the search crew to find us!" Edward smirked, glancing in his brothers direction. Al was still fussing over the stove, the kitchen was a mess. Pots and pans littered the counters, timers were going off signaling that something needed to be removed from the oven.

Roy shifted his gaze onto Edward, who was lost in thought. Once they were done with the decorations, they both stood and stepped back to look at the tree they worked so hard on.

It twinkled and glowed from the lights. Roy looked over at Edward who seemed transfixed by the lights beauty. His golden orbs reflected the shining glow of the lights, making his eyes grow to the size of dinner plates.

Edward shook his head, trying to clear himself of the distraction. "Al, is dinner done yet?" Edward suddenly called to his busy brother. "Not yet, almost!. Just five more minutes!, you guys can set the table though if you want." Al called back.

Roy inwardly laughed, somethings never change it seems. If you're a kid you have to ask if things are ready yet. Roy followed Edward into the kitchen to retrieve the plates in order to set the table. Edward stood on his tiptoes trying to reach the high cupboard where the wanted dishes were housed, a look of frustration pooled on Edwards face.

"Here, let me get them for you." Roy waked past Edward and reached for the desired dishes, handling them down to Edward who's face was flushed with a faint pinkish color. They proceeded walking over to the kitchen table which was just big enough for four people. They set the table then sat down just as Al put the wonderful smelling food onto the table.

"Dinner's ready!" Al announced as he sat down. "I hope you guys enjoy it, and thank you colonel for all your help. Without you, this would have taken a lot longer!."

"No, it was my pleasure!. I haven't had a Christmas with somebody for quite some time now." Roy said as he watch Edward eat his food in a inhuman speed. Roy took a bite of his food and smiled, it tasted wonderful. He smiled even more as he watched Edward eat, the boy may be annoying and immature quite often but he had to admit. That boy had a way to weasel into your heart.

Once they finished eating, they took their dishes up to the sink and set them in the water.

"Thank you, Alphonse. Dinner was great, it's been awhile since I've eaten a home cooked meal. Last time I tried, it burst into flames and I had to leave my house because the Fire Department showed up. It was quite an ordeal..." Roy shuddered at the memory of burnt food he had to smell for a week.

"After that happened, I just order takeout now." Roy told the boys who were standing next to the sink, listening to his tale.

Al giggled, "Could you guys wash the dishes, it's not exactly easy for me to do and, well, brother hates it."

Roy smirked at that, "Yeah, we can do them for you." Roy made sure to pronounce the 'we' part very clearly, making sure he got his point across.

"Thank you very much, Colonel!" Al retreated to the living room to sit on the couch in a rare moment of peace.

Edward glared at him, mumbling under his breath. "Come on Edward, these dishes aren't going to do themselves." Roy mocked him with a sly grin.

"Too bad they didn't.." Edward mumbled as he rolled up his sleeves and took off his white gloves.

Roy did the same, not wanting to get his coat wet, or his gloves for that matter. He stared at the water as it reflected his face in its surface.

He was not going to enjoy this, he hated water of any type. The only kind of water he tolerated was a shower.

"What's wrong?, you scared of a little water?" Edward taunted, waiting for him to start scrubbing the dirty dishes.

Sighing, Roy dipped his hands into the heat and started scrubbing the dishes then placing them into the twin holding area.

Edward snatched the dish out of his hand and turned the warm water on, rinsing it off under the stream.

"There's hardly any soap on these!, add more." Edward demanded of him, pointing towards the dish soap sitting next to the facet.

He picked the container up and squirted some into the water, stringing it around to make bubbles.

"That's not enough, old man!" Edward snatched the bottle from his hand and squeezed a steady stream of soap into the water.

"You used too much soap, you wasted it!. Give it back shorty!" Roy hissed, earning him the rueful gaze of the young teen.

"Don't call me short, old man!" Edward flicked a handful of bubbles at Roy, landing right in his shocked face.

He rubbed the bubbles out of his eyes and met the glare of the boy. He sent a handful of bubbles back at him, landing them on his blonde head.

Pretty soon they were in an all out soap war, yelling insults at each other and bickering like two children.

Al came running in, seeing the mess the two were creating, he stomped his foot. Making them both freeze.

"Stop acting like children, I asked you to do dishes and help clean up!. I didn't ask for you to make another mess!" Al whined, gesturing around the kitchen at the soapy mess on the floor next to the sink. The dirty dishes were still sitting in the soapy water, waiting to be washed.

"Sorry Al," Edward looked down at the floor with a sullen face, "He started it.." Edward jabbed his finger towards Roy who had his mouth agape.

"What?, I did not!. You're the one who snatched the dish soap from me then proceeded to squirt it in the sink, thus wasting half of it. And!, you threw the bubbles at me!" Roy shouted in defense, his onyx eyes meeting the blazing fire of the young teens.

"That's enough, both of you!. Just, clean up this mess." Al sighed in defeat, tired of having to be the adult in this situation.

He stomped out of the kitchen, not knowing wither or not if they'll kill each other.

Edward crossed his arms and glared at the floor, his messy braid let some of his hair out and let it hang freely in his face. Bubbles were floating around the air, some landing on Edward and some landing on the floor. "This is all your fault you know." Edward hissed through clenched teeth, his gaze shifted to Roy. Momentarily stunning him.

"My fault?!" Roy narrowed his eyes, "How could this be my fault?, if anything. We're both to blame." Roy sighed in defeat, looking around at the mess they made. He felt a nagging guilt coming on, I mean. They invited him into their room and he just trashed it, of course he had help but still.

"Lets just clean this mess up, alright?." Roy suggested, feeling his self control coming back. He looked at Edward, waiting for a reply.

Finally, Ed huffed and let his arms fall to his side. "Fine." He snarled as he grabbed up a dirty dish and scrubbed furiously, like somehow that dish had a personal vendetta to make his day horrible.

"Good." Roy picked up another dish and started scrubbing it clean, handing it to Edward to rinse off.

Soon, they were finished. The dishes were all stacked nicely next to the sink, drying themselves off. The kitchen was pretty clean, most of the soap bubbles had popped and left them. The leftover food was in the fridge, all wrapped nicely.

Roy grabbed a towel and dried his hands off onto it, sighing in content as the feeling of water coming off of him.

Edward snatched the towel out of his hands just as he was done with it and started drying off his hands as well.

He still had a glare pooled on his face, obliviously still upset that Roy got him into trouble with his brother.

His golden eyes held their angry glint, warning everyone in a five mile radius to back away now before you got hurt. His whole body radiated anger.

Edward threw the towel onto the table and stormed into the living room. Roy sighed, not knowing what else to do, he followed.

"Alright Al, we're done. Now can I just relax on the couch?" Edward asked his brother in annoyance, his fists balled by his sides.

"Brother!," Al whined, "Go get yourself dressed for bed, you can't sleep in your town clothes!" Al gestured to the Black pants and shirt, his finger then pointed to his red cloak.

"Fine!" Edward turned and stomped towards the small hallway where the bedrooms and bathroom were. He yanked open his dresser drawer and brought out his flannel pajama's Hughes had given him as a gift. The things were stupid looking, he hated them. They were an ugly shade of blue with little rain drops scattered throughout the cloth, the rain drops had sad faces and were crying for some reason.

He quickly put them on and headed out for the living room once more. Roy caught one look of him and burst into laughter, he was pointing and everything.

Edward felt his face burning, only making him more upset. "What are you wearing!, Ha ha ha!" Roy was laughing so hard tears were coming to his eyes, which only made him laugh harder because they reminded him of the Pajama's.

Edward felt his blood raising to a boiling temperature, threatening to overflow. His fists tightened and shook from the effort, his automail hand creaking from the strain. A scowl deepened on his face, showing his displeasure. "STOP LAUGHING AT ME!" He screamed with fury, he looked about to explode.

"I'm sorry...it's just so funny!" Roy stood up straight again, wiping a stray tear that'd escaped from his eye.

Edward folded his arms across his chest and turned his head away, his gaze meeting the wall. "Hmpf, was not!" He huffed in displeasure.

"Okay, if you say so...but I certainly thought it was!" Roy smirked, knowing it would further annoy the boy. It worked, Edward's face turned a beet red and he raised a fisted hand, about ready to wipe that smirk off Roy's face. Al stood up from the couch quickly, seeing the danger.

"Do you guys want to play a game or something?" Al interfered, stopping what could have been a nasty war.

Edward relaxed upon hearing his brothers voice and Roy decided he better stop before he ended up in a coma.

"How about cards?" Roy suggested, he'd always been pretty good at them. Al raised his hand in protest, "I don't think that's the best game-" but Edward quickly brushed him off. "It's fine Al, I'm sure he knows who he's up against!"

"Oh yeah?, who a tiny little boy?" Roy grinned, watching the boy start to boil. "Don't call me small!" He yelled, hissing in outrage.

"Oh clam up, do you even know how to play cards?" Roy furrowed his brow and put his hands to his hips.

Edward seemed to relax when a big evil grin came onto his face, making his golden eyes dance with fire.

"Sure, but you know you can't beat me!" Edward bragged with a sly grin on his face, his golden eyes sparked mischievously.

"Oh we'll see about that Fullmetal!" Roy flashed his famous smirk, his onyx eyes narrowed in a serious manner. Edward's once anger stance turned to a more confidant one. "But don't say I didn't warn you!" He flashed a smile.

"Where do you guys keep the cards?" Roy's onyx eyes searched the room for the game, Edward raised his hand, making Roy's eyes land on him.

"I got some right here!" Edward pulled out a deck from a pocket under his red coat, he started shuffling them.

Roy often wondered just how many pockets did that coat contain, it seemed like Edward was always pulling something out of his well known red coat. Be it food or, in this case, cards.

Edward grinned evilly as he walked over to the low sitting coffee table and shoved some books aside, clearing a spot for their game. He flapped the cards on the table. Edward radiated confidence, his fingers tapped the glass as he waited for Roy to come sit so they could play.

"Alright, how much money are you willing to lose?" Edward asked, pulling a wad of cash from yet another pocket in his coat.

"Lose?" Roy rubbed his chin, appearing to look confused. "I'm not planning on losing any, although, the same can't be said for you!" He smirked.

"Well old man, plans change." Edward smiled, shifting his weight on the floor trying to get comfortable.

Roy reached into his coat pocket and pulled out some money, waiting for Edward to start dealing the cards.

Finally, Edward started dealing the cards out. "We're gonna play poker, unless you don't know how to play?" Edward looked up at Roy with a cruel smile.

"I know how to play, smallfry." That earned him a glare from the boy who flicked some card at his face.

Roy picked his up and looked at the cards, hoping he got something good. He had a three, a four, a ten and an ace. No pairs, nothing. Great..just great.

Roy lifted his eyes and let them land on Edward's face, trying to make out if he had a good chance at winning. However, Edward's face gave away nothing. His steely golden eyes held a confidant glint as he put some money on the table.

Roy put on money in the pile then looked towards the young boy, waiting for him to give away any sort of sign that he had a good hand of cards.

Roy narrowed his eyes as he saw Edward flick his gloved hand, sensing something wasn't quite right but he couldn't put a finger to it.

Roy shifted his gaze back to his own cards, nothing good was in his hands. He twitched his nose in annoyance, he had to win this or he'd never hear the end of it!.

About five minutes into the game, Edward was grinning, flashing his evil smile at Roy as if somehow, he just knew what cards Roy had and he knew he was going to win.

Roy felt a twitch of uneasiness creep up his neck, he had the worst cards he'd ever gotten in his life.

Finally, the game had come to a close and it was time for them to revel their cards. Edward motioned Roy to lay his cards down on the table, he did so with command.

"Ha!, that's all you had?." He slapped his cards down, reveling the highest rank of cards you could get in the game. Roy felt his mouth drop open, how could this kid be so lucky to draw that!?.

"I win!" Edward reached forward and pulled all the money he'd won towards him, grinning like an evil mad man.

"So you did.." Roy hissed, he'd just lost a lot of money. To a kid..

"I told you it wasn't the best game to play, brother likes to chea-"

"Al, hey maybe you should go check and make sure we did the dishes right!" Edward started pushing Al towards the kitchen, silencing the younger brother.

"What was he about to say?..." Roy thought for a moment, trying to figure out the words Al was trying to mutter. "Che...chea...cheat!?, was he going to say cheat?." Edward grinned, shifting his weight from foot to foot. He rubbed his neck nervously, his golden eyes landed on the white tile floor. "Uh, no?" He laughed stiffly.

"He was, wasn't he!?" Roy folded his arms against his chest, feeling anger coming but he also felt a little relived. "So, you cheated huh?. At least I didn't lose to some little pipsqueak like yourself." Roy smirked. "Now, give me my money back!" He held out his hand and waved it, signaling his want for his money.

"What!, I won it...it doesn't really matter how I won it, does it?" Edward narrowed his sharp golden eyes and hissed, he raised his nose in the air and looked away from Roy.

"Yeah, it kinda matters. I want my money back, you didn't win it. You took it!" Roy snarled out, his onyx eyes catching golden ones.

"Fine.." Edward shoved it into Roy's outstretched hand then turned his head away in defeat.

"Thank you. Now, what time is it?." Roy let out a yawn and stretched his hands above his head.

"Why?, you tired old man?" Edward teased, his eyes lighting up happily.

"Brother, I have something for you!" Al called from the kitchen, his armor rattled loudly through the small apartment. He shuffled his way into the living room with a neatly wrapped gift in his metal hand.

"Well old man, looks like you're gonna have to wait until later to sleep. That is, if you can last that long." Edward tried for a smirk, his eyes then focused on Al's gift.

"Yes Edward, I can indeed last throughout the evening. I'm sorry if I'm a bit tired, after all, you wouldn't know how work can tire you out." Roy hissed sarcastically, he hated being called old!.

Edward whipped his head around and met Roy's eye furiously, "I work harder then you've ever worked all your life!, all you do is sit and sign papers all day!" He yelled.

"Oh yeah?, why don't you tell me exactly what it is you do?" Roy asked, angered that he accused him of being lazy, which he was, but that didn't mean people can just wave it in his face.

"Gladly, I've been searching for the Philosophers stone so I can fix both mine and Al's body!" Edward stated, his mouth was drawn back in a snarl.

"Okay, okay. That's enough, can't we just have a nice Christmas night?. Please?" Al begged, looking at Edward with his fiery soul eyes.

Edward's snarl dropped to a loving smile, his golden eyes shimmered down from a blazing fire to a burning ember. "Sure Al, I can try."

Roy was shocked at the sudden change in attitude, his whole demeanor changed just from his little brother asking him to calm down. It surprised Roy, he'd never seen Edward back down from anything. Quite amazing really.

"Alright Al, I'll open the gift you got me!" He held the gift gingerly in his hands, careful not to squeeze it too roughly because of his automail hand. He lifted his real hand and tore the present open, reveling a set of new white gloves.

"Awesome Al, Thanks!. I needed a new pair of these, the other one's were getting dirty and torn. Stupid automail. Thank you again Al, these will come in handy!" Edward smiled brightly at his taller brother, Al stood with his gauntlet fingers intertwined. His stance suggested his was nervous. "You're welcome Brother!"

"Here Al, I got something for you as well. Give me a sec, I'll go get it!" Edward rushed to the bedrooms and came back with a horribly wrapped basket, it was almost as bad looking as his writing. Almost.

Al grabbed it from his hands and gently unwrapped it, a small white kitten popped it's head out from the wrapping. It focused it's big blue eyes on Al. "Meow?" It asked with eyes as big as dinner plates.

Al gasped and grabbed it from the basket. "Brother, is this really for me?!, can I really keep a kitten inside and you won't complain?" Al asked in shock.

Edward smiled, "Yeah Al, she's really for you. And yes, you can keep her in the house, but as for me not complaining. Well, you can't ask too much from me, can you?"

"Oh brother, thank you!." He snuggled the kitten, it crawled over Al's body. It's little chest heaved with purrs. "What should I name her?" Al giggled as the kitten bopped it's head against the armor he called a body.

"Whatever you want Al, whatever you want." Edward replied, a warm smile lit up his face as he watched the scene.

"Oh thank you brother," Al looked at Edward then back at the kitten on his shoulder, "Come along kitty, lets go and find a nice bed for you!" Al giggled again as he headed for the bedroom. Then he stopped and looked back at Roy. "Colonel, we have something for you as well. If you want it, that is." Al spoke up.

"You guys got me something?...why?" Roy seemed shocked for once in his life.

"Because, you've helped us when no one else would. And you seem to care for us, as we do for you. Plus, you're the closest thing to a father we have." Al explained, a smile could be heard in his voice as he tapped the kitten's little head, making the kitten purr louder.

"I'll go get it for you!, wait here!" Al jogged for the kitchen, loudly digging through things in there. "Kitty!, don't eat that!. Brother wouldn't like it if you ate all of that, how about I get you some milk. Since that's one thing Brother could care less about if you drank it." Al could be heard from the kitchen, as could the little kitten, she was meowing loudly.

"So, you guys really care for me that much?." Roy glanced at Edward who seemed embarrassed, a bit of pink crept onto his face as he shrugged. "Yeah." He managed to cough out, he was kicking at the floor with his automail foot.

"Well, I feel the same about you guys." Edward slowly lifted his head and looked him in the eyes. "Really?" He narrowed his eyes, seeming doubtful.

"Yeah, you are like a...a.." Roy was having a hard time saying it. He shifted his stance and rubbed his neck nervously.

"Spit it out old man, you don't have a whole lotta time." He grinned teasingly, his eyes were bright and lively.

"I have just as much time as you do in order to grow to normal fifteen year old size, which I would assume, would be a lot of time.." Roy smirked as he looked down at Edward.

"Whatever." Edward fumed, just then, Al came stalking into the room with something small in his hand.

"Here you go, I hope you like it. I know it isn't much but..." Al handed him a photo of the three of them. Roy was standing in the front of the picture smirking down at Edward, Edward was in the middle of yelling, his arms were thrown out to his sides and Al was behind them, trying to stop the argument.

"Ha, I remember this!. We were waiting for Hawkeye to come and pick us up for a mission, this was when you first came to the military." Roy smiled fondly at the memory, he looked back down at the photo in his hand. He noticed there was a small stack of photos underneath the one he was holding.

He picked up another one. Roy was sitting in at his desk, his hand rubbing his forehead with annoyance. Edward had his fisted automail hand on his desk, his golden eyes were focused at Roy in anger. There was papers floating in the air from when Edward slammed his hand onto the desk.

"Who took these anyways?" Roy looked up from the photos.

"Who do you think?, Maes. He's always following us around with a camera, sometimes I don't even know he has one until he hands me pictures the next day. I don't know where he keeps the camera at, I didn't think the pockets on his coat were big enough.." Edward looked lost in thought, he shook his head to come out of his thoughts.

Roy smiled and shook his head, his friend was always snapping pictures when nobody knew. He could be annoying but that's what made him a good friend.

He looked back down at the photos. This one was when Edward had fallen asleep on the office couch right before a report was due, his automail hand was dangling off the side of the couch limply. Drool was dripping from his mouth and falling onto the pillow he had tucked under his blonde head. Roy was standing in front of the couch with his hands on his hips and a disgusted look on his face as he stared down at Edward.

"Ha!, I remember you didn't even wake up when I yelled in your ear. You just twitched and went back to snoring!" Roy laughed and shook his head.

"Yeah, then I woke up and everything was locked so I had to wait until morning to get out...That wasn't fun." Edward shuddered.

Roy picked up another photo. This one showed Roy with a look of horror on his face as he looked at Edward who had a black marker in his hand and an evil frin on his face.

"You tired to give me a mustache!" Roy huffed, looking at the picture in his hand.

"Yeah, and I almost did it too!" Edward laughed then motioned Roy to move on.

"Can I look too?" Al asked from the side lines, his kitten busy licking his cold metal head.

"Yeah, sure you can!. But can we sit on the couch first, I'm starting to get tired." Roy asked, letting out another yawn.

Al walked over to the couch and sat down, it creaked with protest but held his weight. Roy followed him and sat in the middle seat. Edward looked a bit hesitate but soon followed, he jumped in the cushion nest to Roy. "What's the next picture?" Edward lazily asked, he yawned and leaned against Roy's warm shoulder. His golden eyes focusing on the photo in Roy's hand.

Roy smiled as Edward leaned against him, his blonde hair falling out of his braid and into his face. His golden eyes started to droop, he snuggled closer to Roy.

The next picture was of Edward making an alchemy toy for a small child who had broken her toy, his hands were on the ground causing the blue light of alchemy to burn brightly on the ground. A grin was plastered on his face, his golden eyes held a sort of happiness to them.

Roy looked down at Edward snuggled against his arm, the boy's form rose and fell slowly, signalling his sleep. Roy looked over to Al, he was in a deep meditative state, which was as close to asleep he could get.

Roy smiled as he pulled the last photo from the stack.

A picture of the three of them sitting in a filed all grinning, even Al in his own way. A picnic was laid out in front of them, Edward was laughing as he held a sandwich in his hand. His golden eyes lit with happiness and innocent. Roy was laughing along with him, his onyx eyes glowing with humor. Al was sitting to their side, passing food around. The scene was so pure and happy.

Roy looked down at Edward who was smiling in his sleep and a warmth spread throughout Roy, making him smile brightly. He looked one last time at the tree glowing brightly in the dark, making the whole scene seem surreal. He looked one more time at the boys. His family. His sons.


End file.
